Improvement in car-couplings



2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

4 w, E. BEMAN;

Car-Couplings.

No. 136,958. PatentedMarch18, 1873.

AM PHOTOiITHOG/MPHIL' ca My (assent-Is man-55s) UNITED STATES WILLIAMBEMAN, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR or TWO-THIRDS HIS RIGHT TO MIOAHSAMPSON, or SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT m CAR-COUPLINGS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. BEMAN, of Portland, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Oar-Couplings; and I hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, which is hereby made a part of thisspecification, in which Figure l is a bottom-plan view of my device.Fig. 2 is a side sectional elevation upon the line at a. Fig. 3 is afront-end view of same.

Same letters show like parts.

My invention relates to certain improvements in devices for couplingrailway cars or carriages, whereby the function of coupling will beperformed automatically, thus effecting a great saving of time andimmunity from danger for theoperator. My invention consists of certaindevices for changing the drawbars of a car to different heights, so thatthey a correspond in height to the draw-bars of cals to which they areto be coupled.

U1 erneath a draw-bar of any ordinary construct n I place the cross-bar'i, firmly attached by the hangers j and Into the body of the car.Around this cross-bar I coil the involnte springt, the ofite end ofwhich presses against the draw-bar and forces it upward against thelever m, the draw-head being so affixed to the plate a as to permit ofits vibration vertically, in a manner to be hereinafter described. Thelever m is pivoted at o and passes over the draw-bar outward to anyconvenient length to be operated by the hand of the workman. The ratchetp is so arranged that the lever may be caught at as many differentheights as there are teeth in the ratchet, and as the lever presses thedraw-head down also, and when the draw-head is relieved from thepressure of the lever on the draw-head rises by the pressure of theinvolnte spring I, so, as will be seen, the draw-head may be fixed atdifferent heights, as desired.

The lesser chamber receives the end of the link and sustains ithorizontally, so that it will readily enter the chamber of the oppositedraw-bar.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The' combination of the draw-bar, lever m,

spring I, and stirrup-irons j and Jr,-

ratchet 1), all in the manner and for the purposes as set forth. 7

WILLIAM E. BEMAN. Witnesses D. W. ScRIBNER, F. E. J OR-DAN.

PATENT OFFICE.

ands pressed downward it-

